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UFC bantamweight Norifumi “KID” Yamamoto may be on a personal three-fight losing streak, but he’s a hero to at least one person in Japan. Recently, Yamamoto saved a man that had fall on a subway track in Tokyo. The man was unconscious and bleeding from his head when he fell on the Gotana Station track. [...]

Posted in: japan, man, kid yamamoto, yamamoto, subway track

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When not searching for his first win inside the Octagon, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Bantamweight Norifumi Yamamoto is saving lives in his native Japan. According to a report from Yahoo! Japan (via MMA Fighting), "Kid" ran to the rescue of an elderly man who has lying unconscious on a railroad track at Gotanda Station. After being unable to lift the man on his own, other bystanders assisted the 135-pound Yamamoto in carrying the man to safety before the next train pulled up for boarding. The man, who was also found bleeding from his head upon arrival, is said to now be in stable condition. Well done "Kid," well done. With his latest heroics, Yamamoto's star in Japan will undoubtedly shine a little brighter. Yamamoto, once regarded as the top-ranked fighter in his division not too long ago, is currently winless (0-3) during his recent tenure with the UFC. His is most recent loss came at the hands of Vaughan Lee at UFC 144 at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, losing via submission (armbar) in the very first round. On the bright side, "Kid" has yet to be handed his walking papers following his three consecutive defeats and will likely get another chance to prove himself inside the Octagon; however, he doesn't have a fight lined up at the moment.

Posted in: ufc, kid, japan, man, yamamoto

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Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto may be on a losing streak in the UFC, but he made one new fan in Tokyo this week when he lept onto a subway track to pull an injured man out of the path of oncoming trains. Yahoo! Japan was the first to report on the incident. Ariel Helwani at MMA Fighting summarized the story: The bantamweight fighter noticed that an older man was unconscious and bleeding from his head on the Gotanda Station track. While he was the first to jump onto the track to help him, the man was too heavy to lift on his own, so other bystanders assisted Yamamoto in getting him off the track. Yamamoto and others were successful in rescuing the man before the next train arrived at the station. Yamamoto is 0-3 since coming to the UFC. Once considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, the 35-year-old "KId" has struggled since a series of knee injuries and an ill-advised attempt to make the Japanese Olympic wrestling team.

Posted in: man, yamamoto, track, subway track, track yamamoto

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UFC fighter KID Yamamoto risked his life to save a man who fell on a subway track in Tokyo last Thursday, according to a Yahoo! Japan report. The bantamweight fighter noticed that an older man was unconscious and bleeding from his head on the Gotanda Station track. While he was the first to jump onto the track to help him, the man was too heavy to lift on his own, so other bystanders assisted Yamamoto in getting him off the track. Yamamoto and others were successful in rescuing the man before the next train arrived at the station. According to the report, the injured man is currently in stable condition at a local hospital. Yamamoto (18-6-1) recently lost his third fight in a row at UFC 144 to Vaughan Lee via first-round submission.

Posted in: man, yamamoto, track, station, subway track

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I’ve always been afraid of the alternate reality that The Terminator proposed; with the rise of autonomous machines enslaving the human population and all. People tell me 'stop worrying, we control the technology and nothing bad can come of it,' but they obviously never spent their lives reading Ray Bradbury and Isaac Asimov in perpetual fear of technological singularity and the development of global computer networks which are structurally influenced by neuroscience. The one glimmer of hope for us is that we are programming these machines and we obviously can’t design a machine to do something we don’t yet fully understand, such as the intricacies of human language. The one thing I’m holding on to right now is how poor Google Translate can be in relation to human translation. For example, in the Google translation of a news report about Kid Yamamoto saving a man who had fallen on to train tracks in Tokyo, you can get the general gist of what happened but a serious story about an MMA legend and current UFC fighter saving a man from being hit by a train turns into unintentional hilarity. Marvel at this quote from the machine translated article. “When they see as a package method that train is coming," I do not come, beauty, What "If you do not go, it was just. After having seen the actual men who had fallen, but limp in a faint together when I thought What ... "trying to do ... Wow." without Mochiagara only slightly heavier Te, life in humans., as trying to help I was glad a little time loss. Who helped me get off other people Even I have my best people become” I have no idea what any of that means but the story I can decipher is thus: Upon seeing a man had fallen on to the tracks and injured himself in the process Yamamoto 'in fast motion' jumped from the platform in front of an oncoming train and pulled the man to safety. The rest of the article seems to focus on a beautiful woman named Becky who may or may not be just a friend but let’s just pay attention to the fact that Kid Yamamoto saved a man’s life and can be classed as a hero. When the machines rise up, men like Kid will save us all. [Source]

Posted in: machine, man, kid yamamoto, train, yamamoto

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As a youngster growing up on a healthy diet of Bruce Lee and MMA the PRIDE Fighting Championship, to me, was the greatest show on earth. To my mind the UFC, Strikeforce and DREAM have yet to produce anything close to the quality and spectacle of the best PRIDE shows. Wanderlei Silva's undefeated streak of half a decade, that Fedor guy's emergence from some backwater mining town in Russia to make Nogueira look like an amateur not once but three times, Chuck Liddell and Quinton Jackson's tear up for a chance at the Middleweight crown. There were so many wonderful moments in PRIDE and the Japanese culture and love of spectacle simply made the show even more beautiful. These weren't "gladiators" going in there to "war" or "bang", these were superstars on the biggest MMA stage in the world. When Cro Cop wept after finally winning a belt in the 2006 Open Weight Grand Prix you'll be hard pressed to find a PRIDE fan who didn't choke up too, and when Hidehiko Yoshida, an ageing Judoka with little striking experience, stood in front of Wanderlei Silva for two matches and made the champion respect his punch not as a technical striker but as a man, we all understood the meaning of "Bushido" - the warrior way. But two men exemplified the ideal of bushido and the golden age of Japanese MMA for me, and both fought at UFC 144 looking like shadows of their former selves. Kid Yamamoto and Takanori Gomi. Kid Yamamoto: The Meaning of Pound for Pound Kid Yamamoto spent his entire career up to 2007 fighting at lightweight despite being able to limbo under the 135lbs bar with ease. He fought at 155lbs because he wanted a belt and respect, and he damn sure got it. Despite giving up 10 - 20lbs to his opponents who cut weight to make 155, Yamamoto stopped Royler Gracie and Caol Uno in one night, then went on to be the first and only MMA fighter to stop Japanese MMA legend, Genki Sudo - whose list of submissions includes Mike Thomas Brown and Nate Marquadt. Kid was my idol, and when I finally got out of school I went to Japan with high hopes of meeting him. Being at his gym through his first legitimate MMA loss and and watching the man the Japanese called 'Son of God' clearly return to action without the abilites that he had carried through 18 MMA fights up to that point was heart-breaking. I was only in my late teens at the time and I truly believed that Kid could return from repeated torn ACLs and two years out of action to beat any man DREAM placed him against. When he drew a match with Joe Warren I remember thinking that Warren would be stretchered out of the arena, but he took Kid down like no-one had in Kid's prime. Kid Yamamoto had stuffed Josh Thompson and out grappled Caol Uno and Jeff Curran but he was being laid on by Joe Warren. I wrote the loss off, like many other fans did, as ring rust. Kid immediately took a K-1 match against a relative nobody, Jae Hee Cheon. The night before the fight Kid, his pad holder "Mr P" and myself were the only ones left in the gym and I hopped up on the ring apron to ask my idol in mangled Japanese "Which hand will you knock him out with?". He said "maybe this one" and raised his right fist. That right hook which had stopped so many men - in my heart I knew Kid would destroy this unknown Korean and get back on track. When Kid was knocked out while repeatedly swinging that right hook, I felt disappointment and confusion, but at eighteen years old I had been blinded from the obvious facts of a two year layoff and repeated knee injuries by my idolization of Yamamoto. Misconceptions Three years on, I can objectively look at Kid's fights and I never expect him to win anymore, his chin is shot, his right hook is still volatile but his stand up isn't as rounded as in his prime, and his knee injuries have taken their toll on his formerly world class wrestling. The one thing that I cannot tolerate though is people not giving him the place in MMA history that he has earned. I occasionally hear "yeah... then he came to the UFC and started losing" as if it were a step up in competition that began his downfall, but this is just flat out stupidity. Kid was 1-2 in his MMA career since his return before the UFC signed him and the win came over an irrelevant fighter brought in to get knocked out. To deny Yamamoto his place in MMA history as arguably the best featherweight who ever lived - having fought as one at lightweight and beating the best - is just ridiculous. While I will always remain a fan and enjoy watching his old fights often, I think it is time for people to seperate the pre-2007 Yamamoto and today's Yamamoto. To pretend that they are the same is to discredit the brilliance of Yamamoto's 18 MMA matches and 3 K-1 performances before his injuries forced a hiatus the length of which few fighters have come back from. Objectively the Kid Yamamoto of 2006 could have beaten many of the top 10 fighters from bantamweight to lightweight in the world today and at least given the toughest challenge to the ones who could beat him. Takanori Gomi: The Most Accomplished Lightweight in MMA History Kid was a great fighter and I dreamed of having the strength which he carried in his prime, but the man I sought to emulate when I sparred was not Yamamoto, but Takanori Gomi. The Fireball Kid burst on to the main stage when Pride founded their Bushido event for lighter weight classes, going undefeated in his first ten fights with the biggest promotion in the world. Gomi had begun in Shooto as a one-dimensional ground and pounder. After destroying Japanese legend Rumina Sato he hit a brick wall when he suffered his first two career defeats against Joachim Hansen and BJ Penn. Despite Gomi's one dimensional nature at this stage, both matches were competitive and he even swept Penn from his back three times in the course of their fight - no small feet. Gomi's real renaissance came after Penn exposed his inaccurate stand up. While Gomi remained pretty much a ground and pounder through his first three fights under the PRIDE banner, his stand up was improving all the time. When he was matched against lightweight striking expert and the only man to beat Penn at lightweight, Jens Pulver, he took him on in a pure striking match and won. A right handed southpaw who could switch stances with ease Gomi threw every punch in the book. Long, smashing jabs hurt Pulver from a distance and twice Gomi threw a doubled up left hook, first to the body then immediately to the head of the wincing Pulver. Gomi's footwork, power and combinations looked incredible as he moved around Pulver with ease and landed the bigger, cleaner shots before putting Pulver away with a three punch combination. From here on in Gomi had confidence in his stand up and began demolishing every man in the division with it. Despite BJ Penn's brilliance he never had the string of victories at lightweight that Gomi achieved during this time. Gomi almost entirely cleared out the lightweight division's top ten from 2004 - 2006, a feat which no-one in any division has replicated. Misconceptions The most common misconception about Gomi is the same as Yamamoto - that a step up in competition saw him begin his decline. This is clearly untrue - coming in fat and unprepared for Nick Diaz, Gomi lost to the Stockton native then went on a 4 - 3 slide against average competition BEFORE coming to the UFC. Just as was the case with Yamamoto - the UFC picked him up not for his accomplishments, but simply to stop a Japanese promotion such as Dream from using him to sell tickets, which is why Gomi and Kid are now on huge contracts but relegated to the undercard. The second misconception about Gomi is that his power somehow "compensated" for a lack of skills in other areas. This is a myth which has been helped along by Joe Rogan basically saying it in the heat of the moment at UFC 144. Rogan did an excellent job that night, even giving props to Fedor which is a ballsy thing to do, but he was flat out wrong about Gomi. Takanori Gomi was recognized for 2 years as having the finest boxing in MMA for a reason - take a look at any of his PRIDE striking performances, he pressures opponents, works the body and utilizes straights even more than the looping bombs that have come to be seen as his style. A look at his fight at UFC 144 will show you how far he has fallen and why. While Gomi always fought out of a crouch, he was one of the most mobile fighters at lightweight - cutting off the ring expertly - but now stands with his weight so far over his front foot that he cannot move freely. By leaning over his front foot his reach is also reduced. Against Griffin and Ishida this style worked because Gomi needed to be quick to sprawl and their striking is inadequate, but against Forian, Nate Diaz and even Guida, his inability to move and having his face well forward of his waist cost Gomi big. What's more - though Gomi threw looping punches in his prime, they were never the laughably wide haymakers of today. He was a clinical boxer who threw power punches into holes. Both Gomi and Yamamoto seem destined to live out their days as also rans in the UFC, but the feats they achieved in their prime should not be overlooked. If we can recognize the rapid improvement of Mark Hunt and the decline of BJ Penn, lets not pretend that Yamamoto and Gomi are the same men they were when they set the world ablaze 6 years ago. Jack Slack breaks down striking strategy and technique at his website www.fightsgoneby.com He can also be found on Twitter @JackSlackMMA

Posted in: ufc, mma, gomi, kid, yamamoto

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A DIFFERENT LEVELThere are MMA strikers. And then there are pure strikers.Cheick Kongo is a striker, one of the best in mixed martial arts. Mark Hunt is a pure striker, one of the best in the world.We use the phrase “world-class” way too much, when it comes to describing skills of a particular MMA fighter. There are very few world-class strikers in MMA. You can probably count them on one hand. Hunt is among them. That isn’t me going out on a limb. This guy is the former K-1 champion. For those who don’t know, K-1 is the top of the food chain, in terms of striking competitions. I’ll take the K-1 heavyweight champion over the heavyweight boxing champ any day.Hunt’s reaction after the fight says it all. He is a man of few words. He expected to win. He knows he is the best striker in the heavyweight division. Next question.I am struggling to think of another fighter in the UFC who has improved more in his late 30s than Hunt. He turns 38 in less than a month, and he is now on a three-fight winning streak after surviving a six-fight losing streak. Yes, you read that correctly. Mark Hunt lost six consecutive fights from 2006 to 2010. Approaching his 38th birthday, this is the best Mark Hunt that the world has ever seen. I can wait to see what’s next for the Super Samoan. I’d love to see him scrap with Pat Barry, by the way. That would be a standup fan’s dream matchup.HUH?Wow….I’m left speechless….or, as is the case here, wordless.Jake Shields DID NOT win every round against Yoshihiro Akiyama on Saturday night. Look, I don’t have a dog in this fight. It’s not like I have an Akiyama bias. If anything, I have a Shields bias – he is a great guy, a lot of fun to hang out with, and one of the true gentlemen in the sport. But he didn’t win all three rounds. Shields even admitted as much in his post-fight interview. This is yet another example of why we need to further educate the judges in our sport. That score was bizarre, absolutely bizarre.  For the record, I scored the fight 29-28 for Shields. I scored the first round for Akiyama. He controlled the action with effective aggression, landed several meaningful strikes, and put Shields on his back. Shields won the second, in my opinion, because he completely dominated the standup game. He didn’t land anything of consequence, but he kept touching his foe over and over. The third was easy to score. Shields almost finished it, and Akiyama should have lost a point for grabbing the fight two (or maybe even three) times.This was a fight where judges got it wrong and right at the same time. Shields won; just not every round.By the way, the fight proves to me that Akiyama should stay at welterweight. That is the best he has looked in the UFC, in my opinion. I’m less convinced that Shields should remain at welter. He seemed exhausted midway through the second round. Thus, I think the weight cut is too much for him at this point in his career. The “man weight” he has added in the last four or five years makes welterweight too difficult. I’d like to see Shields move up to middleweight and see what he can do. Sure, he needs to fix his striking deficiency, if he wants to compete with guys with great takedown defense. But I think that 185 pounds might be the best weight class for him at this point.“THE BARBARIAN” HAMMERS HIS WAY INTO CONTENTION People who suggest that a cornerman is irrelevant probably didn’t watch Tim Boetsch come back from oblivion to knock out Yushin Okami. Boestch got dominated in the first two rounds. Then, as he stood from his stool for the final stanza, his head cornerman, Matt Hume, said “You’ve just got to be super aggressive this round, son.” Translation: You are losing the fight and need a stoppage to win.Boetsch took those words to heart and obliterated Okami in the final round. It was one of the more impressive final round comebacks in recent memory. There was nothing in the first two rounds that suggested that Boetsch had any shot at winning. Instead, it seemed like just another routine unanimous decision for Okami, who is one of the most difficult riddles to solve in the middleweight division. Yet, “The Barbarian” refused to be denied, and he somehow found a hole in his foe’s game – defending the uppercut in the clinch. Okami had no answer, so he went to sleep.Boetsch didn’t just make himself relevant in the division. He is now an instant contender. How can I be so certain? In his last 23 Okami fights, only five men, including Boetsch, hold a victory over him. Anderson Silva. Rich Franklin. Chael Sonnen. Jake Shields. And Tim Boetsch. Yep, he is now legit.PETTIS GOES “SHIN TO CHIN”Joe Rogan is the best in the business. I’m going to take that one step farther. He is the best color man in any major sport. I said it. Flame away. I don’t care. I’ll still read the comments anyway. Rogan coined a phrase that I’m going to use again and again. Anthony Pettis went “shin to chin” with Joe Lauzon, resulting in the most spectacular high kick knockout of 2012 to date. For anyone who wasn’t a WEC fan back in the day, Pettis holds a win over Benson Henderson. Actually, it was more than a win. It was a win punctuated by a ninja kick that swiped the WEC lightweight championship from Henderson’s grasp. But for a hiccup against Clay Guida in his UFC debut, Pettis would have been fighting Frankie Edgar tonight, not Lauzon.Pettis is absolutely among the 155-pound Preferiti. It will be interesting to see what Dana White and Joe Silva have in store for him next. YAMAMOTO CONTINUES HIS RAPID FALLThere was a time, not that long ago, when purported hardcore fans and fan blogs searched for any reason to anoint a non-UFC fighter as the “best in the world.” In my opinion, it was their way of showing the message board world that they knew something that the rest of us supposedly didn’t. Sometimes those folks had it very wrong. Sometimes they didn’t.There is an argument that in 2005 those folks had it exactly right. Those were the days that many viewed Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto one of the very best fighters in the world, pound for pound. That year, he won an elite Japan-based lightweight tournament. He followed up a perfect 4-0 in 2005 with a four-second knockout of Kazuyuki Miyata in what remains one of the fastest knockouts in the history of the sport.Suffice to say, Yamamoto was a beast back then, and at a paltry 5’4, he was almost always fighting much bigger opponents. Yamamoto remained in the pound-for-pound discussion through 2007, racking up a total of 14 consecutive wins. But injuries and a long hiatus from the sport changed everything. Yamamoto has now lost five of his last six fights, including three in a row, despite dropping all the way to bantamweight. I’m not sure what has gone wrong with one of the most popular fighters in Asia. Maybe dropping a couple of fights in a row crushed his confidence? Maybe he is just on a stretch of bad luck? Maybe?If we are being honest with ourselves, Yamamoto is in very real danger of becoming just another opponent, if he doesn’t right the ship soon. Three straight losses in the UFC often results in a man to go find himself in a smaller promotion before returning to the bright lights of the Octagon. I don’t know if that fate awaits Yamamoto or not. Only Dana White can answer that question. What I do know is that a man who used to be viewed as one of the best is in the midst of a dramatic fall from grace.GOMI DOESN’T FOLLOW IN YAMAMOTO’S FOOTSTEPSEverything I said above about Yamamoto being a legend before ever coming to the UFC applies to Takanori Gomi as well. I’ll go so far as to say that he absolutely was the very best lightweight in the world when he was the reigning PRIDE Lightweight Champion. I don’t think there was any doubt about it.Like Yamamoto, Gomi fell on extremely hard times, though his struggles started half a year earlier, at the end of 2008. He dropped five of eight fights from November 2008 through September 2011. Riding a two-fight losing streak (both by stoppage) heading into UFC 144, Gomi needed a win as badly as anyone on the card. Mission accomplished. Well done, “Fireball Kid.” Well done.  The win certainly keeps him relevant in the UFC’s lightweight division. The living legend needs to do more in order to move into actual title contention, but he certainly is still relevant.

Posted in: fight, shield, round, ’t, yamamoto

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SAITAMA - British bantamweight Vaughan Lee spoke to MMA Fighting about his 'dream come true' win over Norifumi Yamamoto, how he applied the finishing submission, whether he was rocked earlier in the fight and why he didn't want to over commit when he had Yamamoto hurt.

Posted in: vaughan, yamamoto, lee, vaughan lee, norifumi yamamoto

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"The Fireball Kid," Takanori Gomi, snapped a two-fight skid on the UFC 144 prelims on Saturday. But Kid Yamamoto dropped his third straight in the UFC.

Posted in: ufc, kid, kid yamamoto, yamamoto, twofight skid

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The televised FX portion of tonight's (Sat., Feb. 25, 2012) UFC 144: "Edgar vs. Henderson" preliminary card from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan, is officially in the books. The final bout of the preliminary portion was expected to be a barnburner between Japanese lightweights Takanori Gomi and Eiji Mitsuoka, and that's exactly what is was. After an even first four minutes, Mitsuoka dropped Gomi and immediately pounced with his grappling attack, latching on a mounted triangle. Gomi, however, was able to survive until the final horn to make it to the second round. After being told by his corner that Mitsuoka had gassed himself out, Gomi came out guns blazing in the second round, swarming his Japanese counterpart with pure aggression, overwhelming him with a large volume of wild punches. "The Fireball Kid" eventually took Mitsuoka's back and dropped enough uncontested punches to force the referee to intervene in a crazy comeback. The rest of the undercard was just as wild: In one of the night's biggest surprises, Vaughan Lee and Kid Yamamoto waged a spectacular entertaining one round fight. Yamamoto had Lee on the ropes early after hurting him and unleashing a wild flurry of strikes against the fence, but Lee covered up and blocked enough to shake out the cobwebs. Lee then fired back with a knee which hurt the Japanese legend and then he stunned him again with a heavy hook. When Yamamoto tried to recover with a takedown, Lee immediately locked in a triangle choke and then transitioned to a beautiful armbar which forced a tap from a clearly dejected Yamamoto. The beatdown of the undercard award went to Riki Fukuda, who laid the smack down on former WEC light heavyweight champion Steve Cantwell. Now battling at middleweight, Fukuda was able to utilize some occasional takedowns, although the large majority of his offense came from the clinch where he pounded Cantwell inside with short uppercuts, hooks and elbows. Fukuda's dirty boxing was just plain nasty and he poured it on in the second and third round as Cantwell began to tire out. The judges unanimous sided with the Japanese fighter with scores of 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28 to hand him his first UFC victory after a robbery of a loss in his debut last year. In the most controversial fight of the preliminary card, bantamweights Takeya Mizugaki and Chris Cariaso battled very evenly in the stand-up over the course of three rounds although Mizugaki was able to mix in at least one takedown in each round. The Japanese fighter Mizugaki, spend a good amount of time in top position, occasionally dropping strikes, but he was unable to advance any further than half guard on the canvas. It could be argued that Cariaso got a slight edge in the stand-up and while on his back, he was relatively active with sweep and submission attempts while defending reasonably well with his guard, but the crowd, much of twitter and especially myself were all stunned when the judges unanimous sided with Cariaso via identical 29-28 scorecards. While it didn't take place on the FX portion, the first and only Facebook fight of the night was a doozy between Issei Tamura and China's Zhang Taiquan in the featherweight division. Tamura and Taiquan blasted each other early, coming out guns blazing but Tamura scored a takedown and kept Zhang down for the majority of the first round. In the second round, however, Tamura set up with a left hand beautifully and blasted "The Mongolian Wolf" badly with a huge right hook which knocked him out instantly and will be a serious contender for a big fight night bonus. Here are the complete undercard results: Takanori Gomi def. Eiji Mitsuoka via TKO at 2:21 of round 2Vaughan Lee def. Norifumi Yamamoto via submission (armbar) at 4:29 of round 1Riki Fukuda def. Steve Cantwell via unanimous decisionChris Cariaso def. Takeya Mizugaki via unanimous decisionIssei Tamura def. Zhang Taiquan via knockout at 0:32 of round 2 That's it for the preliminary card portion of the card. Be sure to hit up MMAmania.com's for up to the minute results and blow-by-blow coverage of the rest of the night's action by clicking here.

Posted in: round, japanese, yamamoto, lee, tamura

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Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto is snake bitten or maybe it's simply that the divison has caught and passed him by. The Japanese legend was shocked by Vaughn Lee via submission at 4:29 of thew first round in the fourth fight of … Continue reading →

Posted in: japanese, kid, yamamoto, vaughn lee, japanese legend

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Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto is one of the most popular fighters in the history of Japanese mixed martial arts, but at UFC 144 he was beaten in his homeland by Vaughan Lee. It was a sensational fight that lasted just four minutes, 29 seconds: Yamamoto looked like the Kid of old at times, throwing hard power punches and moving around the Octagon quickly. But Lee did a great job of blocking most of Yamamoto's bombs, and once the fight went to the ground it was Lee's time to shine. Lee initially tried to submit Yamamoto with a triangle choke, but when he couldn't lock that up, he beautifully transitioned into an arm bar that forced Yamamoto to tap. More Coverage: UFC 144 Results | Lee vs. Yamamoto Live Blog "It's a dream come true," Lee said. "Being in the UFC is a dream come true. Fighting in Japan, fighting one of my favorite fighters of all time, Kid Yamamoto, a legend, I'm just the happiest person in the world right now." The win improves Lee's record to 12-7-1. Yamamoto falls to 18-7-1, and he has now lost five of his last six. Yamamoto is one of the all-time greats, but he may be just about done. "All I can say is I am disappointed," Yamamoto said. "I really, really wanted to win in Japan."

Posted in: ufc, time, kid, yamamoto, lee

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SAITAMA, Japan - The slide of "Kid" continues. After a promising start against fellow featherweight Vaughn Lee, Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto found himself the victim of a first-round submission. The preliminary-card bout was part of UFC 144 and aired on FX. It preceded the pay-per-view main card at Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan.

Posted in: kid, japan, saitama, yamamoto, preliminarycard bout

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Vaughan Lee defeats Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto by submission due to armbar. The stoppage came at 4:29 in the first round. The first minute of the fight is spent with both fighters circling and wiating for the other to attack. It is Norifumi Yamamoto who got off first but Lee quickly responded. Yamamoto clinched up and on the break threw a high kick. Lee was able to close the distance but was unable to complete the takedown. Yamamoto landed a right hook that took Lee's legs out momentarily and Yamamoto pushed forward trying to finish the fight. Lee did well defending and survived Kid's onslaught. Lee landed a big flying knee and it was only Kid's wrestling that kept him in the fight. Right hook landed for Lee. Lee wobbled Yamamoto with body shots and a hook to the head. Yamamoto took the fight to the ground and Lee threw his legs up quickly and switched from the triangle to armbar. Kid Yamamoto tried to defend but was forced to tap out. Kid Yamamoto is now 0-3 in the UFC. It is unlikely that he'll receive another shot in the promotion. SBN coverage of UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson

Posted in: fight, kid, kid yamamoto, yamamoto, lee

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SAITAMA -- This is the UFC 144 live blog for all the preliminary bouts in support of tonight's UFC pay-per-view from the Saitama Super Arena. Takanori Gomi vs. Eiji Mitsuoka, Vaughan Lee vs. Norifumi "KID" Yamamoto, Steve Cantwell vs. Riki Fukuda and Chris Cariaso vs. Takeya Mizugaki are the four bouts to be televised on FX. Issei Tamura vs. Tiequan Zhang is the one bout to be carried on Facebook. Follow the live blog below. More Coverage: UFC 144 Results | Latest UFC News Issei Tamura vs. Tiequan Zhang Round 1: Takanori Gomi vs. Eiji Mitsuoka Round 1: Vaughan Lee vs. Norifumi "KID" Yamamoto Round 1: Steve Cantwell vs. Riki Fukuda Round 1: Chris Cariaso vs. Takeya Mizugaki Round 1:

Posted in: ufc, round, vs, yamamoto, mitsuoka

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At UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson, Norifumi Yamamoto (18-5, 1 NC; 0-2 UFC), better known to fans as Kid Yamamoto, faces Vaughan Lee (11-7-1; 0-1 UFC). This Bantamweight contest is the third of four fights on the prelims live on FX. Prelims begin this Saturday, February 25 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT, with the PPV card beginning at 10 p.m. ET / 7 p.m. PT. Neither Kid nor Lee are currently ranked in the USA TODAY / MMA Nation Consensus MMA Rankings. This fight is on the card for one reason - to showcase the Japanese legend in front of his home country. With neither man even holding a win in the UFC, this is clearly not a battle with a tremendous amount of relevance to the Bantamweight division. But for fans who have watched Kid over the years, and have watched him struggle in the UFC, it's definitely a big deal - a chance to see this legend get one last shot at glory. If he does, expect a hero's welcome from the Japanese crowd. If Lee pulls off the upset, it will be a sad scene. How do these two stack up? Yamamoto: 34 years old | 5'4" | 66" reachLee: 29 years old | 5'5" What have these two done recently? Yamamoto: L - Darren Uyenoyama (UD) | L - Demetrious Johnson (UD) | W - Kiko Lopez (TKO)Lee: L - Chris Cariaso (SD) | W - Mark Jones (TKO) | W - Ian Cox (Sub) How did these two get here? Kid Yamamoto was, at one time, considered among the pound for pound elite in all of MMA. Using his combination of wrestling and steadily improving boxing, he dominated the lower weight class Japanese scene throughout the mid-2000's, putting together a powerful 17-1 record. In 2007, Kid announced his plans to step away from MMA to train for the Olympics. An injury in training ended those plans, and Kid came back to MMA, but some of his momentum was lost. Then, in 2008, he suffered a series of injuries that kept him out of action for over a year, and he's never been the same since. He returned in 2009, and is just 1-5 since that year layoff. It's been clear for awhile now that the career of Kid Yamamoto is at its end; the only question now is when will we see his final fight? Vaughan Lee came up through the English MMA scene, training at the Ultimate Training Centre and fighting primarily in organizations like Cage Rage and Cage Gladiators. He put together an 11-6-1 record that includes a loss to Brad Pickett before getting the call up to the UFC. He made his Octagon debut at UFC 138, losing a split decision to Chris Cariaso. This will be his first fight outside of England. It's definitely a major step up for Lee, but a win will put him on the map. Why should you care? He may not have too much to offer these days, but come on, it's Kid Yamamoto fighting in Japan. And there aren't many more times you're going to see that. For a more in-depth look at Yamamoto vs. Lee, be sure to read Dallas Winston's always excellent Dissection. More UFC 144 preview coverage from Bloody Elbow after the jump. SBN coverage of UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson UFC 144 Judo Chop: The Striking Defense of Mark Hunt - Fraser Coffeen UFC 144: Rampage Jackson Misses Weight By Five Pounds, Loses 20% Of Purse While Fight Goes On - Brent Brookhouse UFC 144 Weigh-In Video And Coverage - Tim Burke UFC 144: Anthony Pettis Vs. Joe Lauzon Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 144: The Bloody Elbow Judo Chops Of Frankie Edgar Vs. Ben Henderson - Fraser Coffeen UFC 144: Edgar Vs. Henderson Staff Predictions - Tim Burke UFC 144: Jake Shields Wants UFC To Make Sure Yoshihiro Akiyama Doesn't Cheat - Brent Brookhouse UFC 144: Yushin Okami Vs. Tim Boetsch Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 144 Video: Dana White Video Blog Episode 2 - Kid Nate UFC 144: Rampage Jackson On The Streets Of Tokyo - Kid Nate UFC 144: Dana White Wants You To Know The UFC Didn't Kill PRIDE - Brent Brookhouse UFC 144: The Epic Drama Of Yoshihiro Akiyama - Fraser Coffeen UFC 144: Is Frankie Edgar Being Underrated Against Ben Henderson? - Fraser Coffeen UFC 144: Hatsu Hioki Vs. Bart Palaszewski Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 144 Roundtable: Can The UFC Succeed In Japan? - Tim Burke UFC 144 Predictions: Pros Slightly Favor Frankie Edgar To Beat Ben Henderson - Brent Brookhouse UFC 144: Takanori Gomi Vs. Eiji Mitsuoka Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 144 Judo Chop: Benson Henderson And The Miracle of Survival Part 2 of 2 - Ben Thapa UFC 144 Video: Under PRIDE Rules, Rampage Jackson Dominates Fight Against Ryan Bader - Anton Tabuena UFC 144 Video: Frankie Edgar vs. Ben Henderson Fight Simulation And Prediction - Anton Tabuena UFC 144 Pre-Fight Press Conference Video - Tim Burke UFC 144: Yoshihiro Akiyama Leads The UFC Back To Japan - Kid Nate UFC 144: Should The Winner Of Joe Lauzon Vs. Anthony Pettis Get The Next Title Shot? - Brent Brookhouse UFC 144: Norifumi 'Kid' Yamamoto Vs. Vaughan Lee Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 144: Riki Fukuda Vs. Steve Cantwell Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 144 Judo Chop: Benson Henderson And The Miracle Of Survival Part 1 of 2 - Ben Thapa UFC 144: Edgar Vs. Henderson Countdown Show Full Video - Anton Tabuena UFC 144: Edgar Vs. Henderson Betting Lines - Tim Burke UFC 144: Rampage Jackson Is A Death Sentence For Ryan Bader According To Michael Bisping - Brent Brookhouse UFC 144 Manga-Style Promo Video - Kid Nate UFC 144: Takeya Mizugaki Vs. Chris Cariaso Dissection - Dallas Winston UFC 144: Tiequan Zhang Vs. Issei Tamura Dissection - Dallas Winston

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With the power of the Japanese people behind him, Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto believes that he's finally back on track to get his first victory in the Octagon.

Posted in: kid, kid yamamoto, yamamoto, track, japanese people

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TOKYO - Despite fighting above his natural weight class, Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto won 17 of his first 18 fights and had a top-five world ranking. But since a near-two-year layoff due to injuries, he's just 1-4 since his 2009 return, which included recent back-to-back losses in the UFC. Despite the setbacks, Yamamoto said his lone goal remains the same: to win UFC gold.

Posted in: ufc, kid yamamoto, yamamoto, goal tokyo, topfive world

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HeavyMMA's Megan Olivi talks to Japanese legend Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto about his UFC 144 fight against Vaughan Lee and fighting in his native Japan for the UFC.

Posted in: ufc, fight, yamamoto, vaughan lee, norifumi

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In the penultimate UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson match slated for the four-fight preliminary card, which kicks off at 8:30 p.m. ET on the FX channel, Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto faces Vaughan Lee in a bantamweight bout. How the mighty have fallen. At the turn of the millennium, when the acronym No Holds Barred (NHB) was giving way to MMA and Pride FC and the UFC were like warring mafia dons, there was a sharp contrast between American fights and those overseas. The Pride shows took place in a pristine white ring and were steeped in tradition, with a heavy emphasis on honor and "budo", and the way one "could hear a pin drop" was an oft-observed distinction of the respectfully silent audience. Here in the states, there was a greater focus on wrestling and the fighters snarled their way toward the ominous black cage amidst the raucous thumping of heavy metal while the "Just Bleed Guy" flexed in the background. Kid Yamamoto (18-5) was Japanese MMA's first bad boy because he embodied the primal virility that was associated more with America's culture. Sporting a mohawk, sprinkled with tattoos and beaming a devilishly confident sneer, Kid was the incarnation of pure violence by any standards of combat. Yamamoto was unique in that he was a dominant wrestler, but even more so because he plied that ability as a means to savagely maul his opponents on the feet. Before his hiatus to pursue Olympic wrestling, Kid had firmly cemented a reputation as a cold-blooded killer and was a staple on the list of top pound-for-pound candidates. He'd lost one match due to a cut-stoppage and had one No Contest for a low blow against Josh Thomson, and the rest were highlight-reel-worthy beatdowns of epic proportions. His exorbitant knockout power was dealt in fan-friendly fashion that ranged from flying knees and soccer kicks to vicious boxing and ground-and-pound, resulting in fourteen stoppages (12 by TKO, 2 by sub) and three decisions in his first nineteen outings. He tore through the Shooto promotion and then graduated to K-1 Hero's, where he amplified his expanding body count with reputable names like Royler Gracie, Caol Uno, Genki Sudo, Kazuyuki Miyata (record four-second KO) and Rani Yahya, all of whom were ruthlessly throttled by Kid's kickboxing. Yamamoto's killer instinct was unparalleled, he was a complete fighter and also noticeably under-sized for a lightweight, so it was widely assumed that he'd thrive in the stateside environment. When Kid announced in 2007 that he was putting his MMA career on hold to follow in his father's footsteps and pursue Olympic wrestling, unbeknownst to him, the decision would trigger an unfortunate series of events: He dislocated his elbow in his second wrestling match at the Emperor's Cup, his Olympic dreams were dashed and he begrudgingly returned to MMA. Yamamoto dropped four of his next five, all by decision -- two in DREAM and two in the UFC -- with one measly win over Federico Lopez. Gifs and analysis in the full entry. SBN coverage of UFC 144: Edgar vs. Henderson At UFC 144, Yamamoto is on the brink of extinction against relative newcomer Vaughan Lee (11-7). Lee first made a splash at the TUF 14 tryouts for breaking the record for submissions, but still didn't make the final cut. He's an English fighter out of the Ultimate Training Center facility in Birmingham who's finished ten of his eleven wins with six submissions and four TKOs. Lee's career began with three straight losses, but he rebounded with six in a row, five of which were first-round stoppages. He was then defeated in three of his next four, with two-time UFC fighter David Lee and WEC/UFC staple Brad Pickett accounting for two. Lee went on to notch first-round stoppages in four of his next five with one draw before emerging in the Octagon, where he was narrowly edged out by Chris Cariaso in a split-decision at UFC 138. The visual to the right is more of a mini-highlight of devastation from "the old Kid." Not only does this lend an accurate portrayal of his wicked animosity but, considering his precarious situation, it's the volatile, risk-taking, clobbering-machine I hope to see on Saturday. Kid has been significantly more complacent and hesitant in his two UFC stints; given, he was tackling sharp opposition (Demetrious Johnson, Darren Uyenoyama) with treacherous footwork and wrestling prowess. At this pivotal point, it'd be better for Kid to throw caution to the wind and wow the hometown crowd with a nostalgic display of demolition. Unfortunately, moments worth revisiting have been scarce in the Octagon. The style of fighter he was up against caused him to be a little gun-shy and reserved on the feet for fear of being taken down. While his steep wrestling is still intact, the drop in weight has evened out the monumental quickness advantage he enjoyed at lightweight and actualized as a crucial part of his downfall. Compared to Johnson and Uyenoyama, Lee has comparable submission skills but shouldn't be able to match their footwork and takedown aptitude. Lee did show a serviceable sprawl and strong clinch work against Cariaso. He peppered with strikes and was careful not to over-commit, which allowed him to dig underhooks or control the head from the front headlock position to avoid being put on his back. The sequence below depicts some solid offensive wrestling from Lee, who nails a nice outside trip in the clinch with underhooks. This surely portrayed a more favorable outlook with the judges from a scoring standpoint. On the feet, Lee has been pretty average; not necessarily threatening, but not really weak either. He would be a sitting duck for the relentlessly aggressive Yamamoto of old but even the increasingly hesitant version should have a handy striking advantage. In fact, Kid should have the edge everywhere save offensive submission hunting, but this is an Olympic wrestling hopeful who was taken down consistently by Johnson and Uyenoyama and the latter passed his guard and took his back like clockwork, so it's tough to envision how things might unfold. From both a logical and sentimental point of view, this should be Yamamoto's fight to win. In addition to the standing deficit, Kid has a bulletproof chin so Lee will have to frequently score takedowns and contain him on the floor, which should be a steep challenge. If he does succeed, his knowledgeable grasp of position and passing could spell big trouble for the veteran. My Prediction: Kid Yamamoto by TKO. Yamamoto HL gif via GifSoup.com All others via Zombie Prophet of IronForgesIron.com Poll Kid Yamamoto vs. Vaughan Lee Kid Lee   23 votes | Results

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TOKYO -- Norifumi 'Kid' Yamamoto discusses his elation to be fighting for the UFC in Japan, preparing for his UFC 144 opponent Vaughan Lee, and why he believes he's had disappointing performances thus far in his UFC career in this exclusive interview.

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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) could have used a little Lenne Hardt this weekend in Saitama, Japan, but ring announcer Bruce Buffer will do just fine. For the first time since UFC 29, when Pat Miletich and Tito Ortiz defended their respective titles, the mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion will return to Japan this weekend (Sat., Feb. 25, 2012) with one impressive fight card. UFC 144, which will take place at the Saitama Super Arena, will featured Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar, defending his 155-pound title for the fourth time in the main event against former World Extreme Cagefighting (WEC) champion Ben Henderson. Another lightweight match up slated for the pay-per-view (PPV) main card -- Joe Lauzon vs. Anthony Pettis -- will square off in a bout that may determine the next man to challenge for the belt. Plus, Pride FC legends Quinton Jackson, Takanori Gomi and Mark Hunt, among others, will return to the land that made them famous and the crowds that made them heroes. And that's not even mentioning the "Prelims" card, which will be shown in its entirety on Facebook/FX. We took a deep dive into the first few UFC 144 "Prelims" bouts yesterday right here. Now join us after the jump for breakdowns of the top two fights on FX: 155 lbs.: Takanori Gomi vs. Eiji Mitsuoka Few fighters were more feared than Takanori Gomi (32-8) in his heyday. From the beginning of 2004 to the end of 2005, "The Fireball Kid" was arguably the most dominant champion anywhere in mixed martial arts (MMA). He won 10 straight with eight finishes, including knockouts of welterweight great Hayato Sakurai and former UFC champion Jens Pulver. Unfortunately, things just haven’t been the same since his submission loss to Marcus Aurelio -- Gomi has found himself submitted in three of his lst four bouts with only a hellacious knockout of Tyson Griffin to remind fans of the good old days. Gomi absolutely needs a win Saturday to remain relevant. And while Mitsuoka doesn’t have the name value of original opponent George Sotiropoulos, Gomi cannot look past him. A submission specialist with wins over the likes of Gleison Tibau, Brian Cobb and Gomi-conqueror Sergei Golyaev, Eijii Mitsuoka (18-7-2) replaces Sotiropoulos on short notice on the heels of two straight victories. Most recently, he decisioned highly-touted Brazilian striker Bruno Carvalho under the DREAM banner, his second fight after a year-long sabbatical. Should he upset the former Pride FC superstar, his stock would undoubtedly shoot through the roof. I’m man enough to admit that I was horrendously wrong about Gomi’s fight with Diaz and accept that we will probably never again see the inhuman monster that ruled PRIDE with an iron fist again. Even this Gomi, though, should be enough to beat Mitsuoka. The latter has the sort of grappling abilities that have proven Gomi’s downfall in the past, but he doesn’t have the wrestling necessary to bring them to bear against "The Fireball Kid." Further, unlike Clay Guida or Kenny Florian, he doesn’t set up his shots with a solid striking arsenal or wacky head movement, making it even more likely that Gomi shrugs off his inevitable takedown efforts. Eiji is incredibly tough, so I think he’ll make it to a decision, but he just doesn’t have the wrestling chops to take advantage of Gomi’s poor submission defense, and he’ll find himself battered left and right across the Octagon for 15 painful minutes. Prediction: Gomi via unanimous decision 135 lbs.: Norifumi Yamamoto vs. Vaughan Lee Back before Jose Aldo turned the lower weight classes into his personal feeding grounds, there were exactly two names that defined them: Urijah Faber and "KID" Yamamoto (18-5). After an early cut stoppage loss to Stephen Palling, Yamamoto took the lightweight and featherweight divisions by storm, winning 14 straight fights despite often fighting well above his natural weight. An ill-advised trip to K-1 and an elbow injury suffered in training for a crack at Olympic wrestling later, though, and KID finds himself struggling to remain a factor in the modern MMA scene, having lost four of his last five. Though he entered the UFC as one of the most celebrated signings in recent memory, he is very likely fighting for his job against his British foe. Vaughan Lee (11-7-1), he had tried out for The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) and impressed while doing so, looked on the verge of making an instant jump into the bantamweight division’s upper echelon against Chris Cariaso, dominating the veteran with grappling in the first round. Once Cariaso got his own takedown game going, however, Lee found himself controlled for the bout’s remainder and lost the resultant split decision. The well-rounded Lee has made a habit of ending things quickly and decisively, with nine first-round finishes to his name, and should he become the first man in almost a decade to stop Yamamoto, could find himself one of the new faces of British MMA. I’m also willing to admit that this isn’t the KID Yamamoto who was one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters alive. I don’t know what’s happened to his wrestling, which used to be practically Olympic-caliber, or whether he can deal with people as fast as him. But, once again, there’s enough KID left here. Vaughan has feasted lately on inferior competition, ending overmatched fighters’ nights inside the first round. He’s a pretty good striker with a solid ground game, but Yamamoto still has a right hand that can knockout anyone below 170 pounds. And while Vaughan might have some success taking KID down early, that right hand will find him sooner or later. KID’s is a story of immense talent brought down by poor decision-making (whose bright idea was it to have him fight Mike Zambidis, one of the hardest punchers in K-1 MAX history who also outweighs KID by 20 pounds?) and ill fortune. I’m sad we’ll never see the monstrous KID of yore again, but we’ll catch a little glimpse of him Saturday, just enough to keep optimistic fools like me hopeful. Prediction: Yamamoto via second-round knockout Get your Hokuto Shinken sharpened up, park your EVAs in the appropriate spot, and prepare to get Spirited Away to a solid night of fighting. See you Saturday, Maniacs! Remember, too, that MMAmania.com will provide LIVE blow-by-blow, round-by-round coverage of UFC 144, beginning with the "Prelims" bout on Facebook scheduled for around 7:30 p.m. ET. In addition, we will also provide LIVE, real-time results of the main card action as it happens throughout the evening this upcoming weekend.

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Pressure in the fight game is always relative. When someone is trying to punch you in the face or make you submit, that’s pretty rough in and of itself. So when you add in the ideas of trying to break a string where you were 1-4 in your last five fights, along with fighting in your home country for the first time in nearly two years, are those factors more pressure-laden than avoiding a punch in the face? For Norifumi “Kid” Yamamoto, fighting has been his life professionally for almost 11 years, so that part of the pressure equation isn’t a big deal. As for his 1-4 record since returning from a year and a half injury-induced layoff in 2009, a stretch that includes an 0-2 slate in the UFC, he simply says he’s been “a little bit frustrated, so I committed myself to train longer and harder to prepare for the fights.”But what about this Saturday’s UFC 144 bout in Saitama, Japan against Vaughan Lee, the Kanagawa’s native fighting return to home shores? Is there pressure for him to be the “Kid” once again in front of his loyal fanbase?“No,” said Yamamoto through manager / translator Fumihiko Ishii.It’s as blunt as an assessment as you will get from any fighter on any topic, and that’s Yamamoto’s personality when it comes to his day job. He’s to the point with little embellishment, something that translated into his prime performances, where every punch, knee, or kick was designed to get his opponent out of there. From his four second flying knee finish of Kazuyuki Miyata in 2006 to the soccer kicks that ended Rani Yahya’s night in 2007, Yamamoto was rightly considered one of the lighter weight classes’ elite competitors, and his name regularly came up in discussions about fights with stateside standouts Urijah Faber and Miguel Angel Torres.So when Yamamoto arrived in the UFC’s bantamweight division in 2011, expectations were high, but results underwhelmed, as he lost back-to-back decisions to Demetrious Johnson and Darren Uyenoyama. When asked what has gone wrong in the UFC thus far, Yamamoto replies, “a lack of training due to injury,” and he claims that when it comes to adjusting to the long travel schedule from Japan to the United States and fighting in the Octagon, he had had “no issues at all.”Which brings us to Saturday night and England’s Vaughan Lee. A scrappy ground ace who isn’t afraid of standing and trading, Lee - like many of his peers - is an admitted fan of Yamamoto, but that’s not going to stop him from trying to hand one of his favorite fighters a crushing defeat. Yamamoto (18-5, 1 NC), whose only stoppage loss came via cuts to Stephen Palling in his fifth pro fight in 2002, isn’t overly concerned with Lee’s submission skills.“I have been fighting top notch submission fighters and nobody submitted me,” he said. “So I do have enough confidence to face him.”Aiding in this confidence is that Yamamoto is healthy, and he’s also far removed from any possible distractions at home due to the relocation of his training camp to Mecha MMA in Toronto, Canada.“My sister suggested and arranged for me to train at Mecha MMA,” said Yamamoto. “(They bring) New technique and good conditioning.” As for getting away from Japan and all the pre-fight hype for this camp, he says, “I came here for training, which is the same anywhere.”That’s typical “Kid” Yamamoto. No nonsense to the core. But his hard edge softens a bit when asked about what this fight means, not just to him, but to his loyal fans at home and abroad who would like nothing more than to see a return to form on Saturday night.“It is really important to win the fight not only for myself but also for all of those fans,” he said. “I also want all of my fans to get excited about not just winning, but the fight.”Any last minute instructions to those fans?“SCREAM!”

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Photo by Taro Irei, Sherdog Name: Kyoji Horiguchi Nickname: -- Age: 21 Height: 5' 5" Location: Takasaki, Gunma, Japan Japan is the last place more informed readers of the report would expect to find a prospect, but Japanese knockout artist Kjoyi Horiguchi (6-0) is an impressive exception to the downward trend. Hailing out of Takasaki, Gunma, Japan, the 21-year-old Krazy Bee team member has spectacularly destroyed five of his six opponents since stepping into the sport last May. Horiguchi earned himself the honor of being called the 2010 Shooto Rookie MVP after crushing Takahiro Hosoi at Shooto Tradition 2011 in April. He followed the win with an impressive one-punch knockout of Yuta Nezu at Shootor's Legacy 3 in July, then starched Naohiro Mizuno two months later at Shootor's Legacy 4 in September, running his streak to six. Horiguchi's key to success stems from a refreshing, high-octane striking game that is both overwhelming and frustrating for his opposition. Constantly moving in and out of range, Horiguchi utilizes heavy kicks and punches to throw off his opponents, eventually finding holes in his opponents' defenses that he can exploit with his speed. Incredibly, Horiguchi doesn't sacrifice any power for speed, annihilating opponents who leave their chins exposed with a whirlwind of powerful punches. Most fans will liken Horiguchi to his teammate Norifumi 'Kid' Yamamoto, and those comparisons aren't unwarranted. Like Yamamoto, Horiguchi combines speed and power on the feet while also possessing solid takedown defense. He's overly aggressive, destructive, and never lets his foot off the pedal, which is similar to the version of Yamamoto that terrorized the scene in his more youthful days. Unfortunately, Horiguchi faces some major obstacles if he wants to leave a mark. Most notably, he's undersized even for the bantamweight division at 5'5". His takedown defense is unproven against better competition, and there is the possibility that he's exiled to low-tier Japanese MMA promotions while the Asian scene suffers from a decline in interest. I'm not certain he'll suffer the fate of being stuck in Japan, however, since he's been traveling with Yamamoto stateside to train. Not only is he getting some exposure in North America with camps, but he's improving in areas he needs to in order to succeed in the future. At only 21 years of age, we'll undoubtedly see Horiguchi make an impact at the highest levels in the future, whether it be at bantamweight or flyweight. Video footage of Kyoji Horiguchi in action after the jump... FlyweightBantamweightFeatherweightLightweight #1 - #2 - #3 -#4 -#5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - Kyoji Horiguchi#9 - Leandro Hygo#10 - Pedro Munhoz #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - WelterweightMiddleweightLight HeavyweightHeavyweight #1 - #2 - #3 -#4 -#5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - #1 - #2 - #3 - #4 - #5 - #6 - #7 - #8 - #9 - #10 - Kyoji Horiguchi Highlight - Sugoi Shooter Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Takahiro HosoiShooto Tradition 2011 - April 29, 2011 Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Seiji AkaoShooto Rookie Tournament 2010 Final - December 18, 2010

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UFC President Dana White has stated that he loves 'Kid' Yamamoto. He might want to re-think the fights he's been giving the Japanese import as he was once again bested, losing an unanimous decision to Darren Uyenoyama (30-27, 30-26, 30-27). Uyenoyama nearly finished off Yamamoto in the first round, sinking in a rear naked choke with seconds left in the round. Yamamoto survived to the bell, but he easily lost the round after Uyenoyama was able to secure back control late in the round and threaten. Yamamoto landed a brutal left hand early in the second that opened up Uyenoyama's face, but it didn't stop Darren from completing a takedown and controlling the back of Yamamoto for the rest of the round. Yamamoto surprisingly avoided the choke. Unfortunately, he accepted the alternative, a bevy of punches to the side of the head and the body. Uyenoyama continued his dominance on the ground in the third, threatening Yamamoto from rubber guard with possible transitions to submissions. Yamamoto eventually escaped with roughly two minutes left in the round, but he was never able to mount a comeback. Yamamoto was once considered one of the most popular fighters in Japan, drawing in droves of fans during Japan's boom period for mixed martial arts. During his heyday, he was one of the most feared strikers in the featherweight division, but age has caught up with him. He entered tonight's contest at 1-3 in his last four appearances, dropping decisions to Demetrious Johnson, Masanori Kanehara, and Joe Warren.  Uyenoyama has been on the shelf since September of last year, reportedly due to contract issues with Shooto in Japan. His most recent win against Shooto featherweight champion Shuichiro Katsumura is one of his most notable as it came six months after Katsumura knocked off former champion Masakatsu Ueda. Unfortunately, the bout was a non-title affair, and a rematch never came to fruition. Tonight's match-up was the 32-year-old's first fight back in the States since 2008. SBN coverage of UFC on Fox 1: Velasquez vs. Dos Santos

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The UFC's groundbreaking premiere on Fox is tabbed for this Saturday night. UFC on Fox 1: Velasquez vs. dos Santos goes live at 9 p.m. ET on Fox and will feature the five round heavyweight championship bout between Cain Velasquez and Junior dos Santos. The remaining nine match ups that are slated for the event will all be streamed live on the UFC's Facebook page and Fox.com. Fox Deportes has decided to air two of the juicier preliminary fights just before Fox goes live with the headliner: the de facto number-one contender battle in the lightweight division between Clay Guida and Ben Henderson along with the featherweight tilt pitting Dustin Poirier versus Pablo Garza. The two fights on the Fox Deportes broadcast and the main event will be previewed individually later this week. For the remaining preliminary card, I couldn't help but separate the two fights I'm most intrigued with, which are the Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto vs. Darren Uyenoyama bout as well as Alex "Bruce Leroy" Caceres vs. Cole Escovedo. If you're not familiar with Darren Uyenoyama, there's a nice feature by Tony Loiseleur on Sherdog.com about his unique MMA history and road to the Octagon. "Bone Crusher" (or "B.C.") is a Ralph Gracie BJJ black belt who made an impressive debut in 2002 at Deep 5th Impact, defeating Rambaa Somdet by decision. Uyenoyama did not compete again until 2007. Continued in the full entry with gifs and analysis. SBN coverage of UFC on Fox 1: Velasquez vs. dos Santos Uyenoyama's return marked a four fight sequence in which he suffered his first loss but submitted three of his four opponents in the first round. This led to a chance on Japan's biggest stage against the crafty Hideo Tokoro in the Dream Bantamweight Grand Prix. An excerpt from the aforementioned Sherdog piece on Uyenoyama and the back story of accepting the Tokoro fight: "I got about two weeks’ notice. I was literally sitting on a barstool with a cigarette in my hand and was drinking a beer when the call came in, just on a whim, saying, ‘Oh, would you like to fight in two weeks against Tokoro?’ And, so, I pretty much finished my cigarette and started training for the fight right after," recalls Uyenoyama. At the time, Tokoro had over forty fights on a résumé rich with talent and was fresh off wins over Brad Pickett and Royler Gracie. Uyenoyama unreeled a salvo of kicks and swarmed Tokoro on the feet, but the crafty veteran employed his serpentine ground wit and put Uyenoyama into defensive mode by transitioning seamlessly from one submission attempt to another. Tokoro took a decision but the entertaining contest proved that there was much more to Uyenoyama than his high caliber BJJ background. He arced a variety of kicks from outside and swarmed Tokoro at close range with a whirlwind of punches and knees. His capacity to scramble at a frenzied pace while constantly pressuring with strikes -- especially against such a seasoned ground technician -- established Uyenoyama as a bright prospect in the overseas landscape. He closed out 2008 with another win in Strikeforce but the Dream promotion was unable to coordinate a match up, depleting the momentum Uyenoyama charged versus Tokoro. Sidelined until mid-2010, Uyenoyama was baited with another last minute chance to face a challenging opponent. He agreed and took on submission whiz Tomoya Miyashita with two-weeks notice and lost by guillotine. In his last outing, Uyenoyama made his Shooto debut against featherweight (132-pound) champion Shuichiro Katsumura in a non-title affair. He endured the spidery grappler's clutches and notched a definitive second round TKO. After ironing out some contract disputes and nursing a hand injury from bashing the Shooto champ, Joe Silva has paired Uyenoyama with a fighter he's fully familiar with. Norifumi "Kid" Yamamoto was once a top pound-for-pound candidate based on his vicious reign of terror as an undersized lightweight. His father was an Olympic wrestler and Kid was a three-time high school state wrestling champion in California. After his first eighteen MMA fights and only one defeat, Yamamoto cemented a celebratory reputation as a straight up killer with intractable bloodlust. BB gun shootouts with the Yakuza, violent knockouts, highlight reel stoppages and controversial punches in spite of the referee's efforts to intervene all punctuated Yamamoto's polarizing swagger and perpetuated his bad boy persona. Yamamoto was on top of the world until he announced his intentions to follow in his father's footsteps as an Olympic wrestler. A dislocated elbow would crush those hopes and also mark a dark turning point in his MMA career. Flaunting a sterling 17-1 record, Kid's anticipated return to the rings resulted in consecutive losses to Joe Warren in Dream and then-Sengoku featherweight champ Masanori Kanehara at the K-1 Dynamite! New Year's Eve show. Yamamoto scored a win over Federico Lopez in Dream before finally making his UFC debut against Demetrious Johnson at UFC 126. The uncanny footwork and beautifully set up takedowns of "Mighty Mouse" were unstoppable and the decision loss was another disappointing step for the former legend. Yamamoto was understandably pegged for North American success due to his appealing medley of powerful wrestling, devastating striking and killer instinct. Now, considering his recent slide, it's difficult to discern whether the many years of high level competition are taking their toll or if Yamamoto just hasn't been able to get his groove back. Uyenoyama is a reputable addition to the UFC, yet his style is about as good as it gets for Kid from a match up standpoint. Yamamoto has demonstrated phenomenal submission defense and defeated a stout list of legit BJJ virtuosos in Jeff Curran, Royler Gracie, Caol Uno, Genki Sudo, Rani Yahya and Bibiano Fernandes. With formidable but wide and loose striking and lacking a wrestling pedigree, I see transitions and scrambles as the one area where Uyenoyama could wreak havoc. Kid's stand up is tighter, more explosive and packs serious power, while his wrestling credentials and sub-defense should see him through in the clinch and on the mat. This is a do-or-die fight for Yamamoto and his career and relevancy are on the line. I expect him to blast off crisp combinations from a balanced stance, use his boxing and clinch heft to repel Uyenoyama's advances and capitalize on his takedown prowess with short and controlled spurts of top control and ground and pound. The newcomer is tough to finish and has a lot of heart, so a decision is probable, but I'll guess Yamamoto can get a hard-earned stoppage. My Prediction: Kid Yamamoto by TKO Alex "Bruce Leroy" Caceres competed as a lightweight on TUF 12 where he lost a decision in the semifinals to Michael Johnson. Despite being undersized and out-wrestled, Cacares put on a gutsy performance and proved his striking and heart were strong foundations that could be built upon. Now at a wee twenty-three years of age, Caceres has nine total fights, two of which were contested in the Octagon after the show ten-pounds lighter at 145. Potent featherweight Mackens Semerzier made short work of him with a first round rear-naked choke at Ultimate Fight Night 24. Next up was undefeated newcomer Jim Hettes at the UFC Live on Versus 5: Hardy vs. Lytle card. Hettes finished him with the same submission though the foray played out as an entertaining, back and forth grappling war. Caceres was game on the ground and displayed an encouraging level of technical submission defense and scrambling before he was caught in the second. Standing, Caceres has great instincts for striking with sharp kicks and decent boxing. He has a natural, slippery agility that helps him stay free of contact and able to pester with his incessant kickboxing. He's also shown a knack for triangle chokes and has a pretty feisty guard for such an inexperienced competitor. I see him as an unpolished talent with a ton of potential who is combating his usual size and strength disadvantage by dropping all the way down to 135. Considering the way Renan Barao just slaughtered Brad Pickett, Cole Escovedo's decision loss to the Nova Uniao phenom is much more impressive. A former (and the first) WEC featherweight champion, Escovedo has endured the perils of MMA's worst case of staph. The infection permeated into his spine and caused temporary paralysis. The doctors told him he'd be lucky to even walk again, shifting the focus from fighting to trying to lead a normal life. Defying the odds, "The Apache Kid" returned from a three-year absence with a vengeance.  He compiled five wins a row; a streak that included TKO stoppages over UFC bantamweight Michael McDonald and former WEC 135er Yoshiro Maeda (right). After his Octagon debut against Barao, Escovedo digested a crippling body shot in the Takeya Mizugaki fight that took the wind out of his sails early in the first. The staunch boxer would overwhelm Escovedo with strikes for a referee intervention in the second. Cole has a very wide and aggressive stand up style punctuated by a lot kicks and a long, straight right. In the clinch, Escovedo goes high for the Thai plum and pelts hard knees, generally unafraid of being taken down as it only leads the fight to his area of specialty. Originally nicknamed "The Triangle," ten of Escovedo's seventeen wins are via submission -- nine of which were triangle chokes -- with six coming by way of TKO. He has one of the most dynamic and fluid guards in the division, but his lack of a wrestling pedigree usually relegates him to battling off his back, which is a risky avenue from a judging perspective. Along with the wrestling aspect, Escovedo's standing defense leaves a little to be desired. He has a tendency to drift straight back and drop his hands when pressed with punches, but performs very well when he's not letting his opponent dictate the exchanges. Subtle tactics like the cleaving elbows he throws in the clinch and off his back are signs of the diversified arsenal he's accrued in his decade of MMA. Caceres will be the taller and quicker fighter with the tighter stand up, leaving the door open for him to beat Escovedo to the punch while avoiding the clinch and submission attempts. He might be able to replicate the survival mode he underwent in the Hettes fight, but he's over-matched against the throng of weaponry Escovedo unfolds on the mat. It will be interesting to see whether Escovedo is content to trade or will opt to pursue takedowns and exploit his edge on the ground. Given the slight striking advantages of Caceres, he's still not a power puncher and Escovedo has paraded a firm resilience to punishment in all forms. I expect Caceres to be successful early in pressuring on the feet but eventually falling into the depths of Escovedo's grasp in later rounds. My Prediction: Cole Escovedo by submission     Uyenoyama gifs via Caposa All others via Zombie Prophet of IronForgesIron.com   Poll Kid vs. Uyenoyama, Caceres vs. Escovedo Kid and Caceres Kid and Escovedo Uyenoyama and Caceres Uyenoyama and Escovedo   16 votes | Results

Posted in: fight, escovedo, cacere, yamamoto, uyenoyama

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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bantamweight Norifumi Yamamoto is part of a recent wave of mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters who have migrated from Japan, in search of something bigger and better. With the on-again-off-again status of DREAM and the collapse of Sengoku, many of the bigger names who fought on the Asian tour were sent shuffling off to different shores, in order to find more lucrative employment. The experiment was not a success, at least not initially. However, things seem to have taken a turn for the better, with recent wins by Hatsu Hioki (as controversial as it was) and Michihiro Omigawa bringing Japanese mixed martial arts (JMMA) back into a more relevant standing.   On Sat., Nov. 12, Yamamoto will be taking on Darren Uyenoyama at UFC on FOX in Anaheim, Calif. "Kid" has lost three of his last four fights, including his UFC debut to Demetrious Johnson at UFC 126 on Feb. 5. What impact would a Yamamoto win at UFC on FOX have for JMMA? Looks can be deceiving. Though Yamamoto's recent record is not impressive, one of his losses came to Bellator Fighting Championships featherweight champion Joe Warren and the other to Demetrious Johnson, who went on to get a title shot after beating Miguel Torres in his next fight. He's not losing to chumps and he only recently made the move from featherweight to bantamweight.  Yamamoto's opponent, Uyenoyama, will be making his UFC debut. Certainly, both fighters will be coming in desperate for a win.  It could be looked at as somewhat of a "win-win," as Uyenoyama is also of Asian decent and has fought on the Japanese circuit. However, Yamamoto is a bigger name and is much more widely associated with JMMA. Up until very recently, fans were ready to drive the last nail into the coffin of JMMA. After Hioki's win over George Roop at UFC 137 on Oct. 29 in Las Vegas, "Iron Broom" proclaimed that JMMA isn't dead. Apparently, it was just taking a nap. Omigawa's win over Jason Young at UFC 138 on Nov. 5 in Birmingham, England was much more decisive than that of Hioki. It was certainly a great shot in the arm for JMMA. A win by Yamamoto shouldn't be overstated, but it would definitely help quiet the hecklers who have stated that JMMA fighters are overrated. Do you Maniacs anticipate "Kid" handling his business on Saturday at UFC on FOX? If he wins, will it be a big deal or JMMA or just a step in the right direction? Thoughts?

Posted in: ufc, ufc debut, demetrious johnson, yamamoto, jmma

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This weekend, Kid Yamamoto will take the stage against Darren Uyenoyama for the UFC on FOX. And MMA fans will likely wonder "what happened to Kid?" It's a fair question. Yamamoto just might be the most hyped up Japanese prospect to ever live. A lot of fans mock Kid's hype, but for a time, it was well deserved. For one, he had all the chops to be considered a prospect.  With his father having represented Japan in the 72' Olympics, Kid would look to duplicate his father's efforts when he took part in the 2007 Emperor's Cup to qualify for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. An arm injury against a former Bronze Medalist forced him out of the tournament, and essentially back into MMA. But before Kid tried his hand at Olympic level wrestling, he tried his hand at K-1 level kickboxing. That last sentence reads like a punchline now. But it would be unfair to mock K-1 in the context Kid competed in. The MAX tournaments contained the world's elite, and unlike at HW, there was no room for the neophytes. Certainly not against the K-1 star, and legend, Masato. I'm not the right person to make proper comparisons, or help you understand what a big deal Masato was. But if I were to make any kind of approximation, I would compare him to De La Hoya. Imagine B.J. Penn against Oscar with only one professional boxing match to his name, and that's what you had when Kid fought Masato in 2004 at K-1 Premium Dynamite. It should have been a massacre, right? The fight started out interestingly enough. Kid wasn't reluctant and got right in Masato's face. In fact, he scored a knockdown early in the first round off a brilliant straight left between Masato's guard.The crowd went nuts. Speaking of nuts, when the action resumed, Yamamoto took one of the hardest kicks to the balls you'll ever see. To give you an idea, when Kid Yamamoto dislocated his elbow at the Emperor's Cup, he merely grimaced. This was the same injury that had Mauricio 'Shogun' Rua crying in agony when Mark Coleman toppled over him. But when Masato kicked him in his spermatic wheelhouse, destroying hundreds of tadpole shaped future Einsteins, 'Kid' was reduced to tears. Fanboys of the Sherdog and Underground forums, of which Kid had many at the time, would argue the kick altered the fight. It's a stretch, and Kid's K-1 record of 1-3 would reveal as much, but to say it didn't have an effect on Kid would be mistaken. Yamamoto fought valiantly. But the fight would also reveal Kid's underrated chin, as he took a hard right high kick directly to the kisser, and merely crumpled to the canvas instead of violently flatlining like a normal person (he would make up for this against Zambidis). Time hasn't been kind to Yamamoto. Now a symbol of what's wrong with Japanese MMA, it's difficult to understand who Kid was. Most fans know K-1 as a dying organization, and therefore can't imagine a time when K-1 level meant K-1 level. Nor can they imagine a time when Kid was considered one of the world's best. For my part, I never considered Kid a part of any P4P list. His competition was lacking even back then. People make a big deal of his Hero's tournament win, and while the tournament was respectable, it was a far cry from the brilliance of Pride's Bushido series. However, it's unfortunate that Kid is on the wrong side of 34 (still fighting above his weight class no less). He was never the best, no matter what his fans tell you, no matter what context they're speaking in. But his performances were savage, and at times magical. It would be unfair to think of him as a failed Japanese import when time has simply passed him by. People will use the narrative, but Kid is not a symbol for the death of JMMA. He's a symbol for the death of youth, and the inability to adapt to the ever evolving landscape of MMA. Watch the three part video of his K-1 match with Masato after the jump... K-1 Premium DYNAMITE! 2004 - Masato 魔裟斗 vs. Norifumi 'KID' Yamamoto 山本 KID 徳郁 - Part 1 (via YouCantKillMrGOATSE) K-1 Premium DYNAMITE! 2004 - Masato 魔裟斗 vs. Norifumi 'KID' Yamamoto 山本 KID 徳郁 - Part 2 (via YouCantKillMrGOATSE) K-1 Premium DYNAMITE! 2004 - Masato 魔裟斗 vs. Norifumi 'KID' Yamamoto 山本 KID 徳郁 - Part 3 (via YouCantKillMrGOATSE)

Posted in: time, part, kid, yamamoto, masato

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Filed under: Results, Japan11 years after opening their doors, the esteemed Grabaka gym tries its hand at promoting with "Grabaka Live 1st Cage Attack", a co-promotion with Deep held in front of a packed house at Differ Ariake in Tokyo, Japan on Saturday night. 2001 88 kg ADCC champion, former King of Pancrase and Grabaka boss Sanae Kikuta put on a dominating display against UFC 23 Tournament Champion and one-time UFC title challenger Kenichi Yamamoto in the evening's main event, Kikuta destroying Yamamoto with punches from mount to bring the finish at only 2.18 in the first round. Two former champs made successful returns from long layoffs as former Shooto 115-lbs champion and Grabaka striking coach Rambaa "M16" Somdet made a successful comeback from injury, easily besting Ryota Uozumi while former two-division Deep champ Dokonjonosuke Mishima returned from a two year absence to best Grabaka grappling ace Takeshi Yamazaki by a comfortable unanimous decision. Also on the card, Sengoku veteran and Grabaka coach Yuki Sasaki snapped a five-fight losing streak, knocking down Hidetaka Monma once in each of the three rounds and controlling the rest of the bout to take an impressive unanimous decision and two-time Pancrase title contender Kei Yamamiya had his way with Pride veteran Yoshihisa Yamamoto, battering the pro-wrestler with straight punches to take a unanimous decision. In a grappling rules bout, Ikuhisa "Minowaman" Minowa was over-powered out surprising out-grappled by comedian Bobby Ologun, finally giving up mount just as the bell rang to signify the end of the bout. With no judges, the bout was ruled a draw. Grabaka Live 1st Cage Attack - October 15, 2011 at Differ Ariake, Tokyo, Japan Sanae Kikuta def. Kenichi Yamamoto by TKO (Punches) - Round 1, 2.18 Yuki Sasaki def. Hidetaka Monma by Unanimous Decision Dokonjonosuke Mishima def. Takeshi Yamazaki by Unanimous Decision Kei Yamamiya def. Yoshihisa Yamamoto by Unanimous Decision Rambaa "M16" Somdet def. Ryota Uozumi by Unanimous Decision Ryuki Ueyama def. Yutaka Ueda by Unanimous Decision Tomoaki Ueyama def. Shigeyuki Uchiyama by Unanimous Decision Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Posted in: decision, grabaka, kikuta, yamamoto, ryota uozumi

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